Carter TD lifts falcons

Menendez's Carter found a hole in the secondary, sneaking between the corner and behind the safety to bring down a strike from quarterback Mickey Gilyard.

The result was the game-winning 43-yard scoring strike with 2:45 to play that lifted the Falcons to a 19-13 win over host Ridgeview on Friday.

Menendez improved to 2-0 in dramatic fashion, using defense and a big-play offense to stay unbeaten. Gilyard, Carter and Andre Evans were the Falcons' big-play threats, combining for all the touchdowns. Running back Marquice King paced the Falcons on the ground, running 21 times for 95 yards.

Unable to generate anything but a field goal in the second half, Menendez found itself locked at 13 with just over three minutes to go and on the Panthers' 35.

Gilyard (8 of 19, 153 yards, 2 TDs) tried to create something at the line but found each of his receivers blanketed downfield before getting dropped for an 8-yard loss.

Ridgeview (1-1) wouldn't be as fortunate on the next snap.

Facing a second-and-18, Gilyard rolled right out of the pocket, waited for Carter to break toward the middle of the field and hit the wideout in stride at the 20.

"The coaches did a great job, they did a great job drawing the play up," Gilyard said. "Patrick's a playmaker. I put it up for him and he did the rest."

Carter, out in front of every Ridgeview player in the secondary, ran in uncontested for the score. The play covered 43 yards and put Menendez in front the stay.

"The second time we ran the slant and go, it was wide open," said Carter, who had two catches for 46 yards and also an interception. "It was a perfect pass. Mickey put it right in my lap."

The Falcons missed the point after, keeping things interesting in the final two minutes. But Menendez stuffed Ridgeview on four consecutive plays to take over what should've been an apparent clock-killing drive of its own.

But it didn't work as the Falcons had drawn it up.

Marquice King had three straight runs, banging his way down to the Ridgeview 14 with 11.7 seconds left for what was marked as a first down.

Gilyard then took a knee for what should've ended the game. Instead, it gave Ridgeview one more chance.

While the chains signaled the Falcons had a first down, the officials spotted the ball just short. The Panthers took over at their own 14 but could only get to the 32 before Menendez ended it.

Menendez's defense came up big throughout the contest. The Falcons allowed 114 yards on the ground but only 39 in the second half.

The team's biggest stand came on the 15th play of a Ridgeview drive that chewed up more than five minutes of the third quarter.

Panthers' running back Josh Warrior ripped through a seam on the left sideline, making it to the Menendez 22 before fumbling the ball. Jesse Rodriguez recovered to kill the Ridgeview drive and the Panthers' best scoring opportunity. While the Falcons' defense played its best game of the young season, the Menendez offense had enough when it counted to provide the points. A 20-yard field goal by Dan Cross, set up by a muffed Ridgeview punt inside the Menendez 15, got the Falcons on the board with 6:34 to go in the first.

Then came Gilyard's first dart. On a second-and-12 at his own 39, Gilyard rolled to his right, spotted Evans wide open and hit the junior on to go. Evans (three catches, 88 yards) outran a corner and went into the end zone for a 10-7 Menendez lead.

Howell (11 of 28, 146 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) hit WR Greg Toloczko from two yards out midway through the second quarter to inch Ridgeview back in front 13-10. Cross' second field goal of the night, this time from 23 yards away with 7:57 to play in the third, tied things up for Menendez.